With $2,900 take home, keep it simple and automate as much as possible. Core monthly plan: $1,100 rent, $150 utilities, $300 groceries, $120 transit, $40 phone, $35 internet if not included, $12 renters insurance, $40 household supplies, and $120 fun. That puts you near $1,917 for living costs. Add a $600 automatic transfer to your emergency fund the day after each payday so it happens before you see the money.
Set aside $150 in a sinking fund for irregular stuff like co-pays, gifts, and basic repairs, which brings the plan to about $2,667 and leaves roughly $230 for move-in odds and ends or extra savings. For the emergency fund target, core bills are about $1,757 per month, so three months is around $5,300. You have $3,000 already, so four months of $600 gets you there. If internet is already in that $150 utilities, redirect the $35 line to savings until you confirm the first two bills. With a roommate and agree on a shared staples list and settle up monthly so household items do not blow the groceries line. an example is alternating who buys toilet paper and tracking it in a notes app.
Common pitfalls are first month setup costs, seasonal utility spikes, and annual renewals, which the $150 sinking fund should catch if you let it roll over. Do a five minute check each week and a quick month end reset, and if a category runs hot, trim fun or pause extra savings for that month rather than swiping a credit card.
